After a patient has had a hysterectomy, the supporting ligaments of the vagina have usually also been removed. As a consequence the vagina may bulge to the outside under pressure of other organs. A further consequence may be that the small intestine prolapses, which may cause an oppressive sensation in the lower abdomen.
In order to solve this, it is known to surgically move organs out of the way, using tools that are introduced via a large incision in the abdomen, and attach a number of threads to the upper sacral segment or further above it on one of the lumbar vertebrae, and to attach those threads to a kind of mat, that is attached to the rear side of the vagina with threads. Said mat enable tissue ingrowth of its own accord.
A drawback is that the vagina will be more upright than is the case under natural circumstances. There is also the risk of haemorrhages due to damage to blood vessels at this level of the spine, particularly the sacral promontory. An oppressive sensation in the lower abdomen might last, whereas bladder problems may also continue.
It was attempted to improve on this situation by suturing the threads at a lower location along the spine, near the coccyx. This was also done via a large incision in the abdominal wall.
After this type of surgery the patients have to stay in hospital for approximately two weeks, which entails high costs. The patients are furthermore inconvenienced by the surgery for a long time after that, particularly due to the large incision.
Similar problems may occur in case of prolapsed uteruses, particularly unpleasant oppressive sensations in the lower abdomen and/or against the bladder.
It is an object of the invention to improve on at least some of these drawbacks.
A further object of the invention is to provide an assembly and/or method wherein in case of a hysterectomy the vagina can be given a natural orientation, particularly in a quick and/or simple way.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an assembly and/or method wherein in case of a hysterectomy the vagina can be suspended to a fixed point of the patient's body in a relatively small surgical procedure.